Sky ride



Nov. 28, 1967 G. s. wAcHs SKY RIDE Filed Oct. 13, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l G. s. wAcHS Nov. 28, 1967 SKY RIDE 2 SheeJts-SheefJ 2 l I I Filed Oct. l5, 196

United States Patent O 3,355,580 SKY RIDE Gary S. Wachs, Cincinnati, Ohio, assigner to Coney Island Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed (Bet. 13, 1965, Ser. No. 495,428 7 Claims. (Cl. 240-3) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLGSURE The device relates to cable cars of the type used for sky rides in amusement parks and consists of placing a translucent light diffusing cover over approximately the entire Ibottom of the car. Underneath the translucent cover is a light such that at night when the light is turned on the entire bottom of the car will `be lighted and give the appearance of large moons moving about the park.

This invention relates to cable car sky rides.

It has been an objective of this invention to beautify and enhance the aesthetic and indirectly the commercial appeal of amusement park sky rides.

A large volume of amusement park business is conducted in the evening after dark. At this time, those parks which have invested substantially in a sky ride lose most of the aesthetic as well as the economic benefit of this ride Vbecause it is high above the lighted park where it travels unseen and unnoticed by many of the park visitors. It has therefore lbeen an objective of this invention to call attention of park visitors to the sky ride after Idark when the ride would otherwise go unnoticed.

Still another objective of this invention has been to direct attention of evening park visitors to the sky ride in an unobtrusive and subtle fashion which enhances the picturesque appeal of the park and of the rides. This is in contrast to the customary and often offensive hard sell approach of barkers, spotlights and all of the other traditional im-iiam which serves only to drive many sensitive visitors from the amusement parks.

The apparatus which accomplishes these objectives consists of large luminous moons or dying saucers attached to the lbottoms of the individual cars or gondolas of an amusement park sky ride. In the evening, these moons or flying saucers become visible from throughout the park as they glide sequentially from one end of the park to the other.

The moons consist of large colored translucent light diiiusers mounted over light sources attached to the bottom of each gondola car. These diiusers cover approximately the complete bottom area of the gondola so that they are clearly visible in the dark for a long distance measured in terms of miles. Because the bottom of the gondola is opaque, the translucent diffuser is the only part of the gondola clearly visible from the ground at night, so that the appearance isone of plural moons or iiying saucers oating over the park.

The color of the translucent diiusers is preferably chosen to match that of the gondola cars so that during the daylight hours, when the light beneath the diffusers is turned oli, the diffusers appear opaque and match the colors of the cars. The diffusers thus do not detract from the cars or gondola during the day and greatly enhance the appearance of the `cars at night.

The primary advantage of this invention is the increased public cognizance which results from its use on a sky ride during the evening or night. Because the public is thus made aware of the ride, they use it to the commercial benefit of the owner. Additionally, it significantly enhances the nocturnal beauty of the park or area surrounding the sky ride.

Frice These and other objects and advantages of the invention of this application will be more readily apparent from a description of the accompanying drawings in Which:

FIGURE l is a perspective view of a portion of a sky ride incorporating the invention of this application,

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational View, partially in cross section, of a portion of a gondola car of the sky ride of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged and partially exploded view of a portion of the car of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a bottom view, partially broken away, of the gondola car of FIGURE 2 with the translucent light dilfuser removed.

Referring to FIGURE 1, it will be seen that the sky ride to which the invention of this application is applied consists of a plurality of cable cars or gondolas 10 suspended from a cable 11 which extends between two spaced stations (not shown) and is supported at spaced points between the stations by '1T-shaped towers 12. The cable 11 is of the endless variety which has one stretch 13 extending from one station to the other and a sec- 0nd stretch 14 extending back to the first station with the ends of the cable being joined. To move the car 'between stations, the cable cars 10 are clamped to the moving cable 11 Iby conventional cable clamps 15 so that cars clamped to one stretch are transported in one direction while simultaneously cars clamped to the other stretch move in the opposite direction.

Each cable car 10 consists of a sheet metal body 16 mounted over a metal frame 18 which is in turn connected to the cable clamp 15 by a suspension Ibar 17. Each body 16 includes a roof 19, a floor 20, and side walls 21 having the usual Windows 22 and door 23.

Attached to the bottom of the frame 18 of each of the cars 10 is a neon lig-ht iixture 25 in which is mounted a neon lamp 26. A translucent shield 27 in the form of a narrow rectangular strip of plastic is attached to the bottom of .the fixture 25 as by screws 28. The shield extends from one end of the fixture to the other so as to shield the lamp 26 when viewed from below as is explained more fully hereinafter.

Mounted over the bottom of the car or gondola 10 is a translucent plastic light diffuser 30. This diffuser 30 is generally convex when viewed in cross-section and is of the same general shape and size as the bottom of the car or gondola 10 so that it covers approximately the complete bottom of the car. Preferably it is of the same color as the exterior side walls 21 of the car. Thus, in daylight it appears opaque and matches the opaque side Walls 21 of the car. In the evening, however, when the neon light 26 is turned on or is lit and the surrounding area is dark, the diffuser 30 appears as a colored moon or flying saucer in the sky as the cars move from one station to the other.

In order to evenly light the translucent di'user 30 and obscure the fact that the light is eminating from a lamp mounted under the diiuser 30, the translucent shield 27 is provided. This shield is mounted immediately adjacent the underside of the neon lamp 26 so as to preclude the light source showing through the bottom of the translucent diffuser 30. In other words, it breaks up the light pattern and eliminates any bright spot which would otherwise be visible from immediately below the diffuser 3d.

The diiuser 36 is secured to the bottom of each gondola car by means of four conventional over-center clips 32. Each of these clips 32 includes a hook-shaped bracket 33 welded to the lower portion of a side wall 21 of the car adjacent the bottom Wall 29. Secured over each of these brackets 33 is a U-shaped locking member 34 having its legs pivotly secured within a thumb lock piece 35. The thumb piece 35 is pivotly attached to a bracket 36 which is in turn secured to the diffuser 30.

For purposes of sealingly securing the diffuser 3i) over the light fixture 25, the diiuser 30 has a resilient rubber seal or gasket 38 tted around its upper edge. When the U-shaped locks 34 are litted over the hooks 33 and forced downwardly upon downward movement of the thumb pieces 35, the ends of the locks 34 move over-center relative to the pivots of the thumb pieces 35 with the result that the gasket 38 is compressed and remains under compression to securely and sealingly hold the translucent diffuser 30 on the bottom of the gondola car 10.

Referring to FIGURE 2, the electrical circuit for controlling the neon lamp 26 is illustrated in phantom lines. This circuit consists of a rechargeable Wet cell battery 40 mounted in the interior of each gondola car 10. The circuit from the battery to the light fixture 18 includes a lead 41 from the the positive terminal 39 of the battery to a terminal 42 of a battery charger socket 43 mounted in a side wall 21 of each gondola car 10. The terminal 42 of the recharger socket 43 is connected by a lead 44 through a fuse 45 to one terminal 46 of a light switch 47 mounted in the side wall 21 of the gondola car adjacent the recharger socket 43. The other terminal 48 of the light switch 47 is connected via a lead 49 to one terminal S of the light xture 25. The other terminal 56 of the light xture is connected by a pair of leads 50, 51 to the other or negative terminal 57 of the battery. Additionally, the negative terminal 57 of the battery is connected to the second terminal 53 of the recharger socket 43 via a lead 52.

When the light switch 47 is turned on, a Circuit is completed from the terminal 39 of the battery 40 to the battery terminal `57 via lead 41, terminal 42, lead 44, fuse 45, through the light switch 47, lead 49, fixture 25, and leads 50, 51. When the battery is recharged, the switch 47 is turned off and a plug-in jack 60 from a battery charger 61 is inserted into the socket 43 so as to complete a circuit from the battery charger via lead 41 to the positive terminal of the battery 40 and by leads 52, 51 to the negative terminal 56 of the battery.

Generally, sky rides are used in amusement parks where the gondola cars are each colored a dilerent color. Thus, the visual effect at night when the lamps 26 are on or lit is the aesthetically pleasant one of many different colored moons or llying saucers moving quietly from one end of the park to the other. Because of the large size of these moons or saucers, which cover the complete bottom of the gondola cars 10, they are visible for miles around.

The primary advantage of these moons or saucers attached to the bottom of the cars 10, aside from the pleasing appearance which they add to the park or to the ride, is the additional revenue which results from the fact that visitors to the park are immediately aware of the ride and use it at a time when it would otherwise travel over the park unnoticed.

While only a single preferred embodiment of the in vention has been disclosed and described herein, those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains will readily appreciate numerous changes and modifications which may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore I do not intend to be limited except by the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A sky ride for transporting passengers between spaced stations comprising:

an endless cable extending between at least two spaced towers,

a plurality of cable cars, each of said cars including a suspension bar secured at its upper end to said cable by a cable clamp, each of said cars having a body which includes a roof, a door, and side walls,

said side walls having at least one door through which passengers may enter and leave said cars, said side walls and said bottom wall of said body being opaque,

the improvement which comprises a translucent light diffuser covering approximately the complete bottom wall of each of said cars,

a light source mounted between each of said translucent diiusers andy said bottom walls, and

electric means for lighting said light sources.

2. A sky ride for transporting passengers between spaced stations comprising:

an endless cable extending between at least two spaced towers,

a plurality of cable cars, each of said cars including a suspension bar secured at its upper end Vto said cable by a cable clamp, each of said cars having a body which includes a roof, a door, and side walls, said side walls having at least one door through which passengers may enter and leave said cars, said side walls and said bottom wall of said body being opaque,

the improvement which comprises a translucent light diffuser covering approximately the complete bottom wall of each of said cars,

a light source mounted between each of said translucent difusers and said bottom walls,

the translucence of said diffuser being such that said diffuser appears opaque in the daylight and is translucent in the dark when said light source is illuminated, and

electric means for lighting said light sources.

3. A sky ride for transporting passengers between spaced stations comprising:

an endless cable extending between at least two spaced towers,

a plurality of cable cars, each of said cars including a suspension bar secured at its upper end to said cable by a cable clamp, each of said cars having a body which includes a roof, a door, and side Walls, said side walls' having at least one door through which passengers may enter and leave said cars, said side walls and said bottom wall of said body being opaque,

the improvement which comprises a translucent light diffuser covering approximately the complete bottom wall of each of said cars, each of said translucent diffusers being of the same color as that of the exterior side walls of the car upon which said translucent diffuser is mounted,

a light source mounted between each of said translucent dilusers and said bottom walls,

the translucence of said diluser being such that said diiuser appears opaque in the daylight and is translucent in the dark when said light source is illumi- Y nated, and

electric means for lighting said light sources.

4. A sky ride for transporting passengers between spaced stations comprising:

a plurality of cable cars adapted to be supported from a cable which extends between said spaced stations,

each of said cars having opaque side walls and an opaque bottom wall,

the improvement which comprises a rst translucent light diffuser covering approximately the complete bottom Wall of each of said cars, each of said translucent diffusers being of the same color as that of the exterior side walls of the car upon which said translucent diiuser is mounted,

a light source mounted between each of said translucent diiusers and said bottom walls,

a second translucent light diffuser mounted between each of said light sources and said rst translucent diffusera so as to preclude the appearance of a bright spot on the surface of said first translucent diuser when said light source is illuminated,

the translucence of said rst diffuser being such that said dituser appears opaque in the daylight and is translucent in the dark when said light source is illuminated, and

electric means for lighting said light sources.

S. The sky ride of claim 1 wherein said light source consists of a neon light bulb mounted upon the bottom of each of said cars.

6. The sky ride of claim 5 wherein said electric means for lighting said light source includes a rechargeable battery mounted within each of said cars and an electric switch in a circuit between each of said batteries and said neon light bulbs.

References Cited UNETED STATES PATENTS Hirschberg 24S-46.59 Pellegrin et al. 24U-5 Witte 240-106 Tunney 240-9 Grieger et al. 24S-11.3

NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner.

15 M. H. HAYES, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SKY RIDE FOR TRANSPORTING PASSENGERS BETWEEN SPACED STATIONS COMPRISING: AN ENDLESS CABLE EXTENDING BETWEEN AT LEAST TWO SPACED TOWERS, A PLURALITY OF CABLE CARS, EACH OF SAID CARS INCLUDING A SUSPENSION BAR SECURED AT ITS UPPER END TO SAID CABLE BY CABLE CLAMP, EACH OF SAID CARS HAVING A BODY WHICH INCLUDES A ROOF, A FLOOR, AND SIDE WALLS, SAID SIDE WALLS HAVING AT LEAST ONE DOOR THROUGH WHICH PASSENGERS MAY ENTER AND LEAVE SAID CARS, SAID SIDE WALLS AND SAID BOTTOM WALL OF SAID BODY BEING OPAQUE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES A TRANSLUCENNT LIGHT DIFFUSER COVERING APPROXIMATELY THE COMPLETE BOTTOM WALL OF EACH OF SAID CARS, A LIGHT SOURCE MOUNTED BETWEEN EACH OF SAID TRANSLUCENT DIFFUSERS AND SAID BOTTOM WALLS, AND ELECTRIC MEANS FOR LIGHTING SAID LIGHT SOURCES. 